Laurenhttp://bechdeltest.com/view/5449/belle/#comment-1
This film is feminist critique on what life was like for aristocratic women in the 1700s. There are plenty of named female characters who constantly talk about men and also discuss many other things. Dido and her best friend, Elizabeth, talk with Lady Mary about how Dido cannot eat dinner with the rest of the family due to her race and unusual position as an aristocrat. The servant, Mabel, talks to Dido about how to properly brush her thick, black hair. Several conversations are about men and are also about other issues at the same time. Elizabeth and Dido start by arguing about James Ashford&#146;s character, but the argument leads to a discussion about how Elizabeth has no money and is white while Dido is black with plenty of money.2014-05-05T12:18:12+02:00Ameliahttp://bechdeltest.com/view/5449/belle/#comment-2
I don&#39;t think the argument between them references race. Rather, it is mentioned that Dido has money and is illegitimate but then Dido responds that her father did claim her.2014-06-10T22:47:12+02:00Jenniferhttp://bechdeltest.com/view/5449/belle/#comment-3
With that scene, I think the film makers portrayed an instance of covert or subtle racism on Elizabeth&#39;s part--the kind of racism that has plausible deniability.2014-06-23T01:23:46+02:00Zoehttp://bechdeltest.com/view/5449/belle/#comment-4
I&#39;m not sure Elizabeth really sees Dido as black, they were brought up as sisters and equals as much as possible. The comment she makes isn&#39;t about appearance, it is about illegitimacy. You could read that as a comment on Dido&#39;s mother being black, but being illegitimate in that era was considered so awful on its own that I&#39;m not sure racial implications were necessarily intended. Elizabeth is one of the few characters who never (as far as I remember) comments on Dido&#39;s mixed parentage or appearance.2014-12-02T13:25:10+02:00ashleyhttp://bechdeltest.com/view/5449/belle/#comment-5
Elizabeth sees Dido as black. She&#39;s not a dumb girl, nor is she blind. She knows her sister is black. And in that scene, she was 100% referring to race - but when Dido called her on it, and tried to make her say it out loud, she refused, paused as if she were trying to think of ANYTHING other to say than &quot;because you&#39;re black,&quot; and ended up reaching for &quot;because you&#39;re illegitimate&quot; instead. She was hurt, lashing out, and (at first) intended to throw Dido&#39;s race in her face - she just ended up not being able to go through with it.2015-02-15T23:00:15+02:00